Meta pulls AI image tool after backlash, Sony unveils RX10 V superzoom

The feature worked by analyzing public Instagram profiles to extract a creator's visual style. A user could prompt the system to, for example, "Erstelle ein Bild einer Katze im Central Park im Stil von @deinlieblingsinfluencer" and receive an image that appeared to have been made by that influencer. SAG-AFTRA criticized the automatic opt-in as "a complete misreading of public sentiment" and called on users to manually deactivate the tool. The union later welcomed Meta's decision to retire the feature.

How Muse Image worked

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said it had responded to data protection concerns when taking the tool down. The company also stressed that the technology was used "verantwortungsvoll" and that generated images would be labeled as such. Those assurances did little to slow the backlash. The episode comes against a broader backdrop of AI image tools attracting regulatory and labor-union scrutiny; in January, Elon Musk's US company X-AI restricted the photo-manipulation capabilities of its assistant Grok after it had allowed the creation of sexualized images.

Sony's RX10 V: specs and price

Away from the social-media storm, Sony has presented the RX10 V, the fifth generation of its bridge/compact superzoom line. The Japanese company is pitching the camera at enthusiasts who want a single device capable of covering wide-angle landscapes and distant wildlife. According to Sony, the most important new feature is an AI-supported autofocus designed to work reliably on moving subjects, paired with improved animal and bird detection for close-range wildlife photography.

The RX10 V uses a Type 1-inch sensor and a built-in zoom lens with a focal length equivalent to 24–600 mm in 35mm/full-frame terms. That range lets shooters frame everything from group portraits to faraway birds without swapping lenses. For video, the camera records 4K at up to 120 frames per second, allowing high-resolution slow motion. The camera carries a price tag of 2,500 euros, a level that one reviewer described as "ambitious."

Dual displays and the vlogging trend

The RX10 V is part of a wider industry push toward hybrid designs aimed at vloggers and self-shooters. Some manufacturers are experimenting with dual-display cameras, with one screen on the back and one on the front, so users can see themselves while filming. The goal, as one industry observer put it, is to make selfies and vlogs easier by letting creators monitor framing in real time.

For Meta, the short life of "Muse Image" is likely to revive questions about how the company introduces AI features that touch on personal style and likeness. SAG-AFTRA's intervention highlights how quickly organized labor can mobilize against tools perceived as exploitative, even when the underlying data comes from public profiles. The union's framing — that the default-on rollout was "unacceptable" — points to a possible template for future disputes between creative workers and platform operators.

Sony, by contrast, is leaning into a more traditional hardware story: a do-it-all superzoom with AI-assisted focusing and a versatile focal range. The 2,500-euro price positions the RX10 V well above entry-level compacts but below interchangeable-lens systems, and the inclusion of 4K/120 video reflects the growing expectation that stills cameras double as serious video tools. Whether the formula convinces buyers in a market increasingly populated by smartphones will depend on how much the AI autofocus delivers in the field.

Both stories sit at the intersection of AI and creative work, but on opposite sides of the line. Meta's feature attempted to automate the imitation of a creator's visual signature; Sony's camera uses AI to help a human photographer capture the real world more reliably. The two announcements together underline how AI is reshaping both the production and the capture of images, sometimes in ways the companies themselves have to walk back within days.